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The Polsky Center Joins Statewide Effort to Attract NSF Quantum X-Labs Teams to Illinois

University of Chicago campus

The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is joining the State of Illinois and quantum organizations across Chicago to provide funding, facilities, and venture-building support for teams pursuing quantum technologies through the U.S. National Science Foundation’s X-Labs initiative.

Earlier this month, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced the Illinois X-Labs Fast Fund, a $3 million capital fund designed to encourage teams receiving NSF X-Labs Phase 0 awards to establish and grow their work in Illinois.

The state funding is part of a broader support package assembled by the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP), Chicago Quantum Exchange, P33, the Polsky Center, and mHUB. Together, the group is offering X-Labs teams additional funding, access to specialized laboratory and prototyping facilities, dedicated workspace, technical infrastructure, and business-building resources.

Through the initiative, the Polsky Center will provide participating teams with access to programs, accelerator opportunities, and venture development support designed to help researchers and entrepreneurs translate science into scalable businesses.

Teams will also be eligible for space at the UChicago Science Incubator at Hyde Park Labs, where the Polsky Center supports science-based ventures working to move discoveries from the laboratory toward commercial application.

“There’s no better place to build quantum technology than right here in Illinois,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in a press release. “This is more than an immediate capital injection for these entrepreneurial teams. We’re offering operational autonomy along with access to the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park’s unparalleled technical infrastructure and experimental research facilities, cutting-edge labs, innovation hubs, and networks that can help X-Labs awardees innovate, scale, and pursue transformational breakthroughs in the sector.”

In addition to its Chicago-based resources, the Polsky Center will provide eligible teams with access to Third Coast Foundry, a new San Francisco hub established by the University of Chicago and seven other Midwest research universities. The space will give participating founders a base for investor meetings, corporate engagement, and relationship-building within the Bay Area innovation ecosystem.

The NSF X-Labs initiative is designed to support teams pursuing breakthroughs that require coordinated research, engineering, and translation efforts. The current X-Labs opportunities focus on quantum systems and sensing and imaging — areas in which Illinois is home to significant academic, national laboratory, and industry expertise.

Teams pursuing a federal X-Labs award may include their intention to seek Illinois funding in their NSF applications. Teams selected by NSF will then be eligible to apply for support through the Illinois X-Labs Fast Fund.

In addition to the state’s $3 million commitment, Illinois quantum ecosystem partners are offering up to $250,000 in additional funding and access to infrastructure intended to help teams begin their work quickly and reduce the cost of establishing specialized operations.

Available resources include:

  • Access to dedicated laboratory and office space at the UChicago Science Incubator at Hyde Park Labs, mHUB, and Fulton Labs
  • Access to more than 11 prototyping laboratories and more than $6 million in equipment at mHUB
  • Cryogenic, electronic, photonic, testing, and measurement infrastructure through the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park
  • Potential access to university research facilities and quantum testbeds
  • Company-building, accelerator, and venture development support through the Polsky Center
  • Commercialization programming, mentors, experts-in-residence, and industry networks through mHUB
  • Connections to investors, corporate partners, researchers, facilities, and talent through the Chicago Quantum Exchange
  • Proposal development, administrative, and concierge support
  • Access to Third Coast Foundry in San Francisco for investor and partner meetings

Learn more about the complete support package and how to apply.